Digital Commons Network^™

Architectural Representation And The Dragon’S Lair In Beowulf, Margaret Heeschen

Masters Theses

Since the early twentieth century, the dragon’s lair of Beowulf has been primarily associated with the early megalithic mounds of northern Europe. This interpretation of the space, however, does not account for the many contradictions present in the poet’s descriptions. In order to fully understand the quiddity of the dragon’s lair, we must resolve three major issues with previous interpretations: the use of rare words with unclear meanings, contradictions in descriptions of the physical space, and an assumption by scholars that the poet is describing a single type of space identifiable in the historical record. By addressing each of these …

Visualizing The Constructability Of A Steel Structure Using Building Information Modeling And Game Simulation, Mohammed Al Dafaay

Masters Theses

This research aims to visualize a steel structural design to: (1) analyze its constructability, and (2) support collaboration between project participants at the planning stage. The visualization uses Building Information Modeling (BIM) and game engine simulation to develop a realistic interactive simulation for constructability analysis. A case study experiment was conducted on visualizing the erection process of a steel structure to facilitate the understanding of needed construction operation. The simulation incorporated construction domain knowledge through various entity components and predefined interaction rules. Results showed that through such a visualization method, field operation can be observed in real-time at the planning …

Gradus Ad Parnassum: A Reader's Edition And Commentary, Sara Miller Schulte

Masters Theses

The seminal eighteenth-century counterpoint treatise Gradus ad Parnassum by Johann Joseph Fux exists in Latin, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and a host of other languages in its entirely, but in English only the second book of two has been translated, and even that is available only in a collection of partial translations. While a complete English translation is well beyond the scope of this project, toward that end, this research makes a case for its completion and provides a modernized edition and commentary of the as-yet-untranslated first book.

Finite Element Analysis Of Tibiofemoral Contact Mechanics, Erika Fojtik

Masters Theses

The effects of lateral meniscus posterior root avulsions (LMPRA) have been studied in combination with meniscofemoral ligament (MFL) deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to validate a set of biomechanical finite element analyses against previously reported experimental results to predict the contact area and peak contact pressure in the lateral tibiofemoral compartment of the knee during lateral meniscal root avulsions in combination with MFL deficiencies. Patient specific MRI data was used to develop finite element models for three distinct testing conditions: 1) intact, 2) lateral meniscus posterior root avulsion, and 3) lateral meniscus posterior root avulsion with deficient meniscofemoral …

Life Among Good Women: The Social And Religious Impact Of The Cathar Perfectae In The Thirteenth-Century Lauragais, Derek Robert Benson

Masters Theses

This Master’s Thesis builds on the work of previous historians, such as Anne Brenon and John Arnold. It is primarily a study of gendered aspects in the Cathar heresy. Using inquisitorial registers from the mid-thirteenth century to the early-fourteenth, as well as a few poetic and prose sources, it seeks to understand how the Cathar “Good Women” were perceived by their lay believers. The methodology of prosopography is utilized throughout to measure witness testimonies against one another and to compare the connections between the Cathar constituency and the female ministers.

Two main inquiries are investigated: the sacerdotal and pastoral roles …

Effect Of Arm Motion On Standing Lateral Jump Performance, Arif Ahmed Sohel

Masters Theses

Previous jumping studies have examined the role of arm swing in vertical and horizontal long jump performance, but none have been found which studied the role of arm swing in standing lateral jumps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of arm motion on standing lateral jump performance and to examine the biomechanical mechanisms that may explain differences in jump distance.

A series of lateral jump experiments was performed for two jump cases (free and restricted arms) in which six participants jumped laterally for maximum distance from two in-ground force platforms. A motion capture system collected 3D …

Query Expansion Techniques For Enterprise Search, Eric M. Domke

Masters Theses

Although web search remains an active research area, interest in enterprise search has waned. This is despite the fact that the market for enterprise search applications is expected to triple within the next six years, and that knowledge workers spend an average of 1.6 to 2.5 hours each day searching for information. To improve search relevancy, and hence reduce this time, an enterprise- focused application must be able to handle the unique queries and constraints of the enterprise environment. The goal of this thesis research was to develop, implement, and study query expansion techniques that are most effective at improving …

A Cfd Study Of A Multi-Element Front Wing For A Formula One Racing Car, Shardul C. Kachare

Masters Theses

Presently, one of the key factors in determining a success of an open wheel racecar such as Formula One or Indy car, is its aerodynamic efficiency. A modern racecar front wing can generate about 30% of the total downforce. The present study focuses on investigating the aerodynamic characteristics of such highly efficient multi-element front wing for a Formula One racecar by conducting a three-dimensional computational analysis using Reynolds Averaged Navier-Strokes model. A three-dimensional computational study is performed investigating predictive capability of the structured trimmer and unstructured polyhedral meshing model to generate a three-dimensional volume mesh for a multi-element front wing. …

Evaluating The Affective Impact Of A Place-Based Learning Course Project In The Geosciences, Nathan Charlton

Masters Theses

Coping with issues such as climate change and depletion of natural resources demands a scientifically literate public. For many students, the only exposure to earth science comes in a college-level general education geoscience course. One way to engender positive attitudes toward and interest in earth science among these students (the future public) is to connect learning to actual places to which students have a personal attachment.

This study seeks to evaluate the impact of a place-based learning project (MyPlace) currently in use in an introductory geosciences general education course at Western Michigan University. Students in the MyPlace project select a …

Papermaking Factors Affecting Lateral Web Position During Commercial Heat Set Web Offset Printing, George W. Shields

Masters Theses

The interaction of water with paper plays a role in web handling characteristics during commercial heat set web offset printing. Water absorption leads to lower web tension for a given strain.

This research investigates paper properties and their role in preventing lateral web movement from cross machine air flows in the drying section during normal printing operations. Tensile properties of sheets are measured at various moisture contents and then used to determine the equilibrium stress-strain relationship for papers at moisture contents typical of heat set web offset printing. Permeability, fiber orientation and tensile stiffness are evaluated against lateral web movement …

Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction In The Headwater Of The White River, Manistee National Forest, Michigan, Ziqian Li

Masters Theses

Groundwater is a significant fresh water source in most areas and can be affected by potential changes to climate and precipitation from anthropogenic influences. Considering groundwater and surface water can be regarded as one hydrologic system, it is significant to understand the dynamics between precipitation, shallow groundwater and surface water in order to manage these resources.

Water samples were collected roughly biweekly from July 2016 to June 2017, and analyzed for electrical conductivity and stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen. During sample collection site visits, stream discharge and the groundwater heads from different wells were measured.

The stable isotopes of …

Libya, The New York Times, And A Propaganda Model Of The Mass Media, Randy Laprairie

Masters Theses

This project derives a set of research expectations from the propaganda model, a structural model of the corporate news media developed by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky. The model predicts that the news media will reflect elite views and priorities and marginalize views outside the range of elite opinion. Consequently, it is expected that the media will tend to support the elite’s preferred modes of exercising state power in international affairs. This often entails demonizing official enemies of the United States in order to justify military interventions while downplaying the crimes of the United States and its allies. To …

The Effect Of Auditory Stimuli On Test Performance: Testing The Arousal Hypothesis, Ian Thomas Kells

Masters Theses

Since the publication of Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky’s study in 1993 on the “Mozart Effect”, the study of music and its effect on cognition and performance has gained significant attention. Roth and Smith (2008) investigated this “Mozart Effect” and suggested a continuation of research and interpretation through an arousal theory. This study examined the effects of a subject-identified arousing stimulus on performance on the Verbal Reasoning portion of the GRE, analyzed through an arousal theory framework. A sample of 24 non-music Western Michigan University students took part in one 60-minute testing period using subject-preferred music, which was then analyzed across …

Finding A Baseline For Accountability In Diversion Programming, Anthony G. Frontiera

Masters Theses

This present study looked at a Mid-West American Juvenile Justice institution with the hope of helping to build a baseline of understanding in terms of how their diversion programming efforts are shaping out. Historically, research and funding have not been directed into diversion efforts in the same ways that re-entry efforts have seen. Studies have shown that if diversion efforts are not effective, then another cohort of youth are consigned to 50% higher recidivism rates than otherwise. The research before you was conducted to assist this institution in understanding and then changing their course of action with regards to diversion …

Testing The Arousal Hypothesis: The Effect Of Music On Arousal As Measured By Electrodermal Activity During Verbal Processing, Meghan E. Feeman

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to assess the arousal hypothesis by implementing an auditory stimulus (music) at various times during a task (Verbal Processing section of the GRE) to analyze changes in arousal, as measured by electrodermal activity (EDA). Testing is administered for one hour with music implemented before testing and twice during testing. EDA levels are used to measure physiological response and are collected over the one hour testing period. For analysis, testing material is broken into different time blocks to assess arousal levels through mean slope, mean skin conductance level (SCL), mean skin conductance response (xSCR), …

Enhancing Intersection Safety For The Blind And Visually Impaired (Bvi) Pedestrian Using Device-To-Infrastructure Communication, Mohammad Sayyah Al-Akash

Masters Theses

Visually impaired pedestrians have limited mobility options, where they rely heavily on walking and transit for their transportation needs. One of the major issues facing these pedestrians is intersection crossing. Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), as a means of helping their intersection crossings, were introduced in the United States as early as 1920 but were not included in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Device (MUTCD) until 2000. The most recent type of APS is the beaconing APS which has shown improvements in road crossing abilities of blind pedestrians though it has many downsides to it. This study developed a cane …

Visual Literacy: Integrating Social Justice Art Education Into The Middle School Curriculum, Anna Kazmarski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore how social justice art education and visual literacy can facilitate growth and compassion for the diverse other in society. Social justice art encourages exploration of art-making in a variety of settings in order to dispel anxiety or misunderstandings about those affected by injustice. An investigation of original lesson plans designed to meet national core art standards will be introduced to elaborate on how social issues can be incorporated into a comprehensive art education curriculum based on critical and analytical inquiry at the middle school level.

Bimusicality: Pedagogical Insights For Music Educators From "Second-Music" Learning Experiences, Kerry Digiacomo

Masters Theses

This study explores the development of “bimusicality” in adolescent and adult music learners to discover correlations between this experience and second language acquisition processes. North American music educators need to be equipped to help their students grow in their understanding of diverse musical styles, genres, and traditions, and the ethnomusicological concept of bimusicality, in connection with existing research on second-language acquisition as a sociocultural phenomenon, offers a new frame of reference for understanding how music learners may interact with distinct musical styles. Survey research with a group of 98 adult musicians, followed by ethnographic interviews of 16 of these survey …

Polychlorinated Biphenyl Concentrations In Fish From Lake Michigan Tributaries And A Preliminary Risk Assessment Concerning Their Consumption By Sport And Tribal Fishermen, Amanda K. Potter

Masters Theses

Human and environmental health continues to be threatened by persistent organic pollutants in the Great Lakes ecosystem. Polycholorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are considered one of the most toxic contaminants in the Great Lakes due to their recalcitrance, bioaccumulation, lipid solubility, and adverse health effects.

The three main questions examined in this research were: 1) Do PCB concentrations vary between largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), northern pike (Esox Lucius), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and walleye (Sander vitreus) in west Michigan tributaries of Lake Michigan; 2) Do PCB concentrations vary on a watershed level among Manistee …

Yellow Perch Genetic Stock Structure In Eastern Lake Michigan: What Is The Importance Of Drowned River Mouth Lakes?, Gregory M. Chorak

Masters Theses

Habitat heterogeneity has the possibility of structuring populations. Even in connected landscapes, there can be cryptic structuring of populations that coincides with landscape features that limit gene flow or select for different phenotypes within a species. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is an economically and ecologically prominent fish in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the Lake Michigan basin, yellow perch reside in nearshore Lake Michigan, including drowned river mouths (DRMs, lake-like habitats that link tributaries to Lake Michigan). The goal of this study was to understand whether yellow perch populations are structured in eastern Lake Michigan by the connected …

The Effect Of Good Form Running Gait Retraining On Lower Extremity Kinematics And Ground Reaction Forces, Alyssa Schaefbauer

Masters Theses

Running is a popular activity for those trying to get in shape, stay fit, and improve overall health. As running has increased in popularity over the past couple of decades, so has the number of running related injuries. (Higginson, 2009; Statistics and Research, 2016). Interest in running gait research has also increased to address and understand the running related injuries. In addition to reducing injuries, the search for an optimal running form that will improve efficiency is being pursued (Davis, 2005). Good Form Running has become an increasingly popular school of running that seeks to fulfill these needs, but its …

Assessing The Potential Benefits Of Recreational Therapy On Functioning Outcomes, Samantha R. Lamkin

Masters Theses

Background: The aim of recreational therapy, like all rehabilitation therapies, is to promote the functionality and well-being of a person with disability. However, unlike other forms of therapy, recreational therapy utilizes a unique approach to rehabilitation by incorporating meaningful daily life activities into the patient’s individualized rehabilitation plan. Gains in functionality can be quantified using a Likert scale measurement Functional Independence Measures (FIM®). Previously conducted research shows a positive association between recreational therapy services and functionality gains in specific populations of persons with disability with stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury being most heavily represented. Problem: Research gaps …

The Role Of Affective Forecasting And The Impact Bias In Nutritional Health Behaviors, Matthew D. Fallon

Masters Theses

Previous literature on affective forecasting has studied its role in health decisions, but there is little research investigating affective forecasting in diet choices and eating behaviors. The present study collected affective forecasts from 43 college participants before eating an indulgent snack and then observed emotions immediately after eating the snack. We predicted that emotion predictions would be significantly stronger than observed emotions, in support of previous literature on the impact bias. We also predicted that optimism would predict a stronger impact bias and that extraversion and neuroticism would have a role in forecasts and observed emotions. Contrary to our hypothesis, …

Using Figurative Language In American English: Challenges And Successes Of Adult English Learners, Abbey L. Ventrone

Masters Theses

English language learners (ELLs) face many challenges when learning English. One of those challenges is the figurative language that is used in every day conversations. Often the lack of understanding or misunderstanding, can result in awkward conversations for English learners. This study aimed to identify what interpretations adult English learners at the advanced level give to American English figurative language and how do those interpretations differ or correspond to native speakers’ interpretations. This case study looks specifically at five adult learners from three different countries. The learners met once a week during the summer of 2016 to listen and interpret …

Nest-Site Selection And Neonate Survival Of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) In Michigan’S Northern Lower Peninsula, Joseph T. Altobelli

Masters Theses

Turtles (Order Testudines) are experiencing global declines largely due to anthropogenic influences such as habitat fragmentation, illegal collection and sales, and the threat of global climate change. Removal of individuals from the adult age-classes means there is now a greater need to understand the survival of neonate and juvenile turtle age-classes. In this study I examined a population of eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at the northern limit of their range in Michigan’s lower peninsula. The objectives of my thesis were 1. to determine the microhabitat factors that influence nestsite selection by female box turtles and how …

Development Of Empirical And Virtual Tools For The Study Of Bicycle Safety, Brent Kostich

Masters Theses

Bicycles have been used as a form of non-motorized transportation for several hundred years. Recently, their use in the transportation realm has been reinvigorated because of growing population densities and efforts to improve environmental sustainability. However, a large deterrent for public use of the bicycle is concern over its level of safety in the transportation environment. The goal of this thesis is to develop two complementary research tools that advance the study of bicycle safety factors.

First, an instrumented probe bicycle (IPB) is constructed from the ground up. The bicycle is outfitted with an array of sensors that are integrated …

A Study On The Impact Of Instruction Set Architectures On Processor’S Performance, Ayaz Akram

Masters Theses

The recent advances in different instruction set architectures (ISAs) and the way those ISAs are implemented have revived the debate on the role of ISAs in overall performance of a processor. Many people in the computer architecture community believe that with current compiler and microarchitecture advances, the choice of ISA does not remain a decisive matter anymore. On the other hand, some researchers believe that this is not the case and they claim that ISAs can still play a significant role in the overall performance of a computer system. Novel heterogeneous architectures exploiting the diversity of different ISAs have been …

Atmospheric Microbial Community Sampling System For Varying Altitude Collection, Kenneth David Domingue

Masters Theses

The study of airborne microbial communities in the vertical atmosphere is an area of research in which very little data has been collected and analyzed. Developing a vehicle to house biological sampling equipment that collects, and mitigates contamination is required by a team of biology researchers to perform sampling of atmospheric microbial communities. This study uses a sampler box that is attached to aerostatic vehicles: zero pressure balloons and tethered balloon/kite structures. Zero pressure balloons are used for sampling at altitudes above 150 m above sea level, and tethered balloon/kite structures are used for sampling at 30 m and 150 …

Best Practices For Differentiated Learning Among Third Through Fifth Grade Ell Students, Tara J. Macias

Masters Theses

With the increase of second language English learners in U.S. kindergarten through twelfth grade schools and the continued achievement gap between these students and English speaking students, educators and administrators need to develop, implement and support best practices for differentiation among English Language Learners. ELL students are often categorized as special education students while their only barrier to learning is language acquisition. On the other hand, ELL students may have additional learning difficulties that are not identified because there is an assumption that language acquisition is the single challenge to their learning. Educators often engage in whole group instruction with …

The Leadership Of John Wooden, Drew Waters

Masters Theses

John Wooden, former coach of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) men’s basketball team, has won twice as many championships as the next most successful men’s collegiate basketball coach. This paper will examine the methods he used in his coaching, his leadership style, and how it compares with various leadership styles of other famous coaches and leaders, and other possible factors which may have led to his achieving such a high level of success. A thorough review of a wide variety of literature has been incorporated in the thesis, as well as a study comparing Wooden’s leadership style with …